Abhanga 881
When exhaustion from constantly managing your own unruly desires becomes too much, you can hand the whole burden over to God and simply walk away from the job of controlling everything.
The verse
बरें जालें आलीं ज्याचीं त्याच्या घरा । चुकला पार्हेरा ओढाळांचा ॥१॥ बहु केलें दुखी त्यांचिया सांभाळें । आतां तोंड काळें तेणें लोभें ॥ध्रु.॥ त्यांचिया अन्यायें भोगा माझें अंग । सकळ ही लाग द्यावा लागे ॥२॥ नाहीं कोठें स्थिर राहों दिलें क्षण । आजिवरी सिण पावलों तो ॥३॥ वेगळाल्या खोडी केली तडातडी। सांगावया घडी नाहीं सुख ॥४॥ निरवूनि तुका चालिला गोवारें । देवापाशीं भार सांडवूनि ॥५॥
Literal translation
Barē — gharā — pāṛhērā — ōḍhāḷa — spared. Dukhī — sāmbhāḷa — tōṇḍa-kāḷē — lōbha. Anyāya — bhōga — anga — lāga. Sthira — kṣaṇa — none. Siṇa. Khōḍī — taḍātaḍī — sukha — none. Tuka — niravūni — gōvārya — Dēva — bhāra — sāṇḍavūni.
मराठी: बरें जालें — ज्याचीं तीं त्याच्या घरा आलीं — ओढाळांचा पार्हेरा (राखणवाला) चुकला (सुटला). त्यांच्या सांभाळें बहु दुखी केलें — आतां त्या लोभानं तोंड काळें. त्यांच्या अन्यायें भोगा माझ्या अंगावर पडला — सकळ-ही लाग द्यावा लागे. कोठें-च क्षण स्थिर राहूं दिलं नाहीं — आजि-वरी सिण पावलों. वेगळ्या-वेगळ्या खोडी केली तडा-तडी — सांगायला घडी सुख नाहीं. Tuka निरवूनि (सोपवून) गोवारें (गोवळ-धंदा) चालिला — देवा-पाशीं भार सांडवूनि.
Word-by-word gloss
| Marathi | Meaning |
|---|---|
| बरें जालें आलीं ज्याचीं त्याच्या घरा | "barē — came — his-own — gharā" |
| चुकला पार्हेरा ओढाळांचा | "cukalā — pāṛhērā — ōḍhāḷa" |
| बहु केलें दुखी त्यांचिया सांभाळें | "dukhī — sāmbhāḷa" |
| आतां तोंड काळें तेणें लोभें | "tōṇḍa-kāḷē — lōbha" |
| त्यांचिया अन्यायें भोगा माझें अंग | "anyāya — bhōga — anga" |
| सकळ ही लाग द्यावा लागे | "lāga — give" |
| नाहीं कोठें स्थिर राहों दिलें क्षण | "sthira — kṣaṇa" |
| आजिवरी सिण पावलों तो | "until-now — siṇa" |
| वेगळाल्या खोडी केली तडातडी | "khōḍī — taḍātaḍī" |
| सांगावया घडी नाहीं सुख | "ghaḍī — sukha" |
| निरवूनि तुका चालिला गोवारें | "niravūni — gōvārya" |
| देवापाशीं भार सांडवूनि | "Dēva — bhāra — sāṇḍavūni" |
What it means
A strays-back-to-his-home-watchman-spared-much-pain-blackened-face-by-lōbha-their-misdeeds-borne-by-my-body-whole-tail-given-no-steady-rest-suffered-toil-separate-mischiefs-pulling-apart-no-sukha-Tuka-leaves-cowherd-life-after-entrusting-bhāra-at-Dēva abhang. Gōvārya-leaves-bhāra-at-Dēva register. Six claims (corresponding to the abhang's six stanzas):
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बरें-जालें — स्वतःच्या-घरा-आलीं — पार्हेरा-चुकला. Strays-back-watchman-spared-claim. It'sbarē— those that are his own (thestrays / lost-ones / the senses-and-cares) have cometo-his-home(to-Hari's-home); thepāṛhērā(watchman, herder) of theōḍhāḷas has beencukalā(spared, no-longer-burdened). Strays-now-home; herder-spared.
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सांभाळें-दुखी — तोंड-काळें-लोभें. Pain-by-charge-blackened-by-lōbha-claim. MuchdukhīI was-made by theirsāmbhāḷa; now (my)tōṇḍa kāḷēby thatlōbha. Watching-the-strays-was-painful; greed-blackens. (The tōṇḍa-kāḷē image: face-blackened-with-shame.)
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त्यांच्या-अन्यायें-भोगा-अंग — सकळ-लाग-द्यावा. Misdeeds-borne-by-my-body-claim. By theiranyāya, the bhōga fell on my anga; the wholelāgahad to be given. Their-faults-came-to-my-body; whole-tail-of-trouble-given.
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क्षण-स्थिर-नाहीं — आजि-वरी-सिण. No-steady-rest-claim. Nowhere akṣaṇaofsthiralet-me-have; until-nowpāvalōm siṇa(suffered toil). No-rest-just-toil.
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वेगळ्या-खोडी-तडा-तडी — सुख-नाहीं-सांगायला. Mischiefs-pulling-apart-no-sukha-claim. Separatekhōḍīs made thetaḍātaḍī (chaos, pulling-apart);no ghaḍī of sukha to tell-of.Pulled-apart-by-different-mischiefs.
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Tuka: निरवूनि-गोवारें-चालिला — देवा-पाशीं-भार. Gōvārya-leaves-bhāra-at-Dēva-claim. Tuka, havingniravūni(entrusted) (the strays), has set-out — leaving thegōvārya(cowherd-life); thebhāradeposited atDēva-pāśī. Cowherd-quits-after-handing-over-the-cattle. (Powerful closing-image: Tuka has been the cowherd of his own senses; he's now handing-over-the-cattle to Dēva, depositing the bhāra, and walking-away from the cowherd-life altogether.)
[T]
For someone today
Tukaram compares himself to a tired cowherd who has spent his life chasing after stray cattle, which stand here for his own wandering senses and desires. Watching over them wore him down: he took the blame for their misbehavior, never got a moment's rest, and was pulled in different directions by one mischief after another with no real happiness to show for it. Finally he says enough. He hands the strays over, walks away from the herding job entirely, and sets the whole burden down at God's side. It is a picture of surrender that comes not from a sudden insight but from plain exhaustion, and it shows how relief arrives when you finally stop trying to manage everything yourself and let it go.
मराठी: तुकाराम स्वतःची तुलना एका थकलेल्या गुराख्याशी करतात, ज्याने आयुष्यभर भरकटलेली गुरे सांभाळली, म्हणजेच स्वतःच्याच चंचल इंद्रिये आणि वासना. त्यांची राखण करताना ते थकून गेले, त्यांच्या चुकांचा दोष स्वतःवर घ्यावा लागला, कधीच विश्रांतीचा क्षण मिळाला नाही, आणि निरनिराळ्या खोड्यांमुळे ओढाताण होत राहिली, सुख असे काहीच नव्हते. शेवटी ते म्हणतात, पुरे झाले. ते गुरे देवाच्या हवाली करतात, गुराख्याचे काम पूर्णपणे सोडून देतात, आणि सगळा भार देवापाशी उतरवतात. हे शरणागतीचे चित्र अचानक सुचलेल्या ज्ञानातून नाही, तर निखळ थकव्यातून आलेले आहे, आणि सगळे स्वतः सांभाळण्याचा प्रयत्न सोडून दिल्यावर दिलासा कसा मिळतो, हे यातून दिसते.
Where this applies
- Strays-home. Restoration.
- Watching-pained. Burnt-out.
- No-rest. Toil.
- Cowherd-quits. Hand-over.